Eighth Consecutive Year of Passenger Traffic Grown at OAK in 2005

Press Releases

March 16th, 2006

-Expanded and New Service by Low-Cost and International Carriers Resulted in Modest Increase in Passenger Activity-

Oakland, Calif -- Oakland International Airport (OAK) continued to experience passenger traffic growth in 2005, up 2.26 percent over the previous year to 14,417,575 passengers. This increase marks OAK's eighth consecutive year of growth, and is primarily the result of expanded and new service by low-cost and international carriers.

Air cargo traffic and aircraft landed weights saw slight increases in 2005. Air cargo traffic was up 0.03 percent over the previous year to 671,345 metric tons, while landed weights grew by 1.94 percent to 12.78 billion pounds. The number of commercial aircraft takeoffs and landings also grew to 187,693 operations, an increase of 0.61 percent.

In 2005, OAK served 7,215,905 departing passengers (enplanements) and 7,201,670 arriving passengers (deplanements). OAK continued to maintain its standing as the Bay Area's second largest airport, commanding a 25 percent market share of the total number of Bay Area passengers served.

"Oakland International Airport continued to grow in 2005, however, at a modest rate. New and existing carriers at Oakland responded to demand for more choices to leisure destinations such as the Hawaiian Islands and Mexico," said Steven Grossman, director of aviation for the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport. "Our predictions for modest growth in 2005 were correct, with 14.4 million passengers served just short of the 14.5 million we anticipated," added Grossman.

Also, Grossman said that he expects passenger traffic to continue to grow at a modest rate in 2006 to 14.7 million passengers served, another airport milestone.

In 2005, a number of carriers at OAK made significant changes that resulted in increased passenger traffic: three launched new nonstop service and many added frequency to existing destinations, whether on a seasonal basis or for a longer duration.

The following is a list of nonstop service inaugurated or expanded at OAK in 2005:
- Alaska Airlines added one daily flight to Seattle in June for a total of 17 daily flights.
- Azteca Airlines inaugurated four weekly flights to Guadalajara, Mexico in August.
- Delta Air Lines added a third daily flight to Atlanta for a total of four daily flights in June.
- JetBlue Airways added one daily flight to Long Beach in January and one daily flight each to Boston and New York-JFK in May, for a total of 17 daily flights.
- Mexicana inaugurated twice-weekly flights to Mexico City, Mexico's capital city, and weekly flights to Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta in January.
- North American Airlines inaugurated weekly service to Kona and Kauai in April for a total of nine weekly flights.
- Southwest Airlines added a daily flight to Chicago-Midway in March and a daily flight to Las Vegas in June.

Market share for OAK carriers in 2005 follows:

Airline

Passengers
Served in 2005

Market
Share in 2005

Alaska/Horizon

1,078,678

7.5%

Aloha

202,031

1.4%

America West/US Airways

658,688

4.6%

American

345,208

2.4%

Azteca*

6,287

0.04%

Continental

204,227

1.4%

Delta

317,510

2.2%

JetBlue

1,533,569

10.6%

Mexicana

258,543

1.8%

North American**

74,157

0.5%

Southwest

8,525,582

59.1%

SunTrips (operated by Ryan Int'l)

121,249

0.8%

United

1,088,493

7.5%

Other

3,353

0.02%

Total

14,417,575

100%

*Azteca began service 8/05. **North American discontinued service 8/05.

OAK has over 200 flights a day on 12 domestic and international carriers to 39 nonstop destinations, including Atlanta, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, the Hawaiian Islands including Hilo (begins Apr. 27), New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Mexico and seasonal service to the Azores (Portugal), Costa Rica and Sun Valley, Idaho. OAK is the regional distribution center and is the designated Pacific gateway for FedEx.

In 2004, OAK broke ground on a $300 million Terminal Improvement Program, designed to add even more convenience, security and service to the travel experience once completed in 2008. In Terminal 2, the program encompasses a new seven-gate concourse and waiting areas; expanded ticketing, security and baggage claim facilities; and a modern, centralized food, beverage and retail shopping area. Additional improvements to the terminal roadway and curbsides will improve access and ease traffic congestion in front of both terminals. Visit oaklandairport.com for more information.